British lawmakers agree to continue work for alleviation of suffering faced by Kashmiris
British parliamentarians on Wednesday "agreed to continue to work towards ensuring the alleviation of suffering faced by the Kashmiri people", a statement by the Pakistan High Commission in London said.
High Commissioner Mohammad Nafees Zakaria held a closed meeting in the House of Commons in London with a large number of UK parliamentarians facilitated by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir (APPKG).
The lawmakers acknowledged that the Kashmir issue is an internationally recognised dispute and awaits the implementation of the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
They "noted with concern the tragic situation of human rights" as well as the blockade imposed by India which has led to a "severe humanitarian, political and security crisis in the occupied territory," read the handout.
In the briefing given by him, the high commissioner highlighted how India has been "perpetuating grave human rights violations in the occupied territory unabatedly and with impunity".
He underscored that the complete lockdown in India-occupied Kashmir for 31 days "with no communication with the outside world, and the reports of killings, abductions, illegal detentions, rape and use of pellet guns against the defenceless Kashmiris was a matter of deep concern".
Zakaria also stressed that since media access was virtually non existent in the region, "the actual scale of atrocities could be much more given the Indian track record of torture, killings in fake encounters, forced disappearances, and other inhuman treatment".
He decried such human rights violations taking place in the 21st century "by a so-called world's largest democracy".
According to the statement, the high commissioner "lauded all the British parliamentarians for becoming a voice for the oppressed people" of the occupied territory and urged "an immediate and unconditional end to the bloodshed of Kashmiris".
He further laid emphasis on the need for the delivery of justice to the Kashmiri people and "accountability of the perpetrators as demanded by international human rights bodies". He called upon the NGOs of international repute and members of the civil society, such as OHCHR, IPHRC, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Human Rights Report on India and International People’s Tribunal to play their due role in the matter.
The High Commissioner reiterated Pakistan's resolve to continue to stand with the oppressed Kashmiris and extend its moral, political and diplomatic support to them for the "realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination". He said Pakistan will do everything in its capacity to ensure delivery of justice to the Kashmiris.
"Both sides agreed to build upon the conversation and charting a way forward to bring an end to the ongoing human tragedy," the statement concluded by saying.